Prints Thomson’s Septuagint Bible

On 1 January 1808, Jane Aitken entered the publication year in which she printed Charles Thomson’s four‑volume English translation of the Septuagint Bible in Philadelphia.[4][5][7][11] The set, issued in octavo format and titled as a translation from the Greek Septuagint, represented a major scholarly and typographical undertaking for any American printer of the time.

Thomson, former secretary of the Continental Congress, had laboured for years over his translation of the earliest Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures. When he sought a printer, he turned to Aitken, whose reputation for careful work and fine binding had been established through a decade of production. By printing and binding this demanding project, Aitken demonstrated mastery of complex biblical typography and layout, at a time when American Bible printing was still developing.[4][5][7]

The 1808 Thomson Bible is widely recognized as the first English translation of the Septuagint published in America, and it became Aitken’s most important publication.[4][5][7][8][11] Although the edition was beautifully produced, it proved a commercial failure, contributing to the financial pressures that later undermined her business. Nevertheless, the work secured her place in American printing history and showcased the capacity of a woman printer to handle large‑scale biblical and scholarly projects typically reserved for major male‑run firms.[4][7][8]